Time when all was eco-friendly

Rajiv Sharma

While travelling by train, we used to carry drinking water in a surahi before our maternal uncle gifted us an insulated flask that could maintain the temperature of freshwater for two-three hours. Bottled water was not in vogue in those days. Soft drinks were available for the few who could afford them, but those too came in reusable glass bottles. Hawkers used to serve chana-puri in paper plates and dona (bowl made from leaves). Thermocol and plastic glasses were yet to invade the tracks of the Railways. Tea vendors used to run alongside the moving train to retrieve empty glasses and hand over the balance to passengers.

My mother would often send me to a halwai to fetch curd in a bowl or a gadhavi. We also had a dolu to bring milk from the nearby dairy, whose owner milked his cows in front of customers. So much so, carrying empty glass bottles to the family doctor for a refill of cough syrup was a fairly common practice.

Now, when I see dairy products and edible items in plastic pouches, I shudder to think about the adverse effects of the toxic compounds. We used to carry a cloth bag to buy vegetables and groceries, unlike today when polythene rules the roost. Even farmers have started bringing their produce to the markets, suffocated in big plastic bags, instead of jute bags that helped fruits and vegetables breathe and stay fresh.

Refrigerators were available, but only a few could afford them. People mainly relied on natural ways to prevent cooked food and raw vegetables from turning sour and stale. Doli or jaali (a wooden cupboard with wire mesh) enhanced the shelf life of home-cooked food.

There was a chhikoo (a basket made from bamboo reed) hanging in the verandah to enhance the shelf life of onion, garlic and potatoes. We had a bhadoli made of straw mixed with clay to prevent milk from turning sour. My grandma lit it up with cow-dung cakes early in the morning, and the milk kept in an earthen vessel simmered over mild heat all through the day. By evening, the colour of the milk turned golden yellow. Tea prepared with the milk had a distinct creamy taste, unlike today when it is hard to find pure milk.

Come to think of it, from the most eco-friendly society, slowly and steadily, we have slipped into the league of most polluted countries. Cycles have been replaced by bikes and cars, thaila has made way for the non-biodegradable polythene, organic manure has been replaced by toxic fertilisers and pesticides.

We are ourselves responsible for the situation we are in, and the onus of getting out of the black hole also lies on us. Mehmet Murat, a Turkish writer, has rightly said: ‘There is only one way to keep ourselves alive and that is to keep the earth alive!’

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